Thursday, 1 December 2016

UN ruling to free WikiLeaks’ Assange to stand after British appeal rejected

The
United Nations just rejected an
appeal from the UK government. And the turndown could see WikiLeaks
founder Julian Assange walk free after four years trapped in
London’s Ecuadorian Embassy.

Overturning
UN decrees

The
UK had appealed against
a UN ruling made in February. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary
Detention (WGAD) had judged that
Assange’s confinement in the Ecuadorian Embassy amounted to
arbitrary detention and urged the countries involved to bring that
detention to an end.

Swedish
authorities want to bring Assange in for questioning over alleged
sexual misconduct in 2010.
The US also wants access
to him for a “multi subject investigation” into Wikileaks. And
Sweden refused to
guarantee that it would not extradite Assange to the US if he
travelled to the country to face the accusations against him.

Ecuador
gave Assange asylum in 2012, and he has now been in its London
embassy for over four years. The UK government has said authorities
will arrest him if he tries to leave, and has
routinely stationed
police at
the embassy. Assange has repeatedly offered for
questioning by Swedish prosecutors to take place in the Ecuadorian
Embassy.

Swedish
authorities finally scheduled an
interview at the embassy earlier in November.

Ustanding firm on Assange

The
UN said the
appeal made by the UK was “not
admissible“.
Its decision also confirms that the UK is in breach of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR); and it will continue to be if the
detention doesn’t end. The UDHR is part of international law, which
is legally binding.

The
website Justice for Assange detailed the WikiLeaks
founder’s response to
the rejection:

Now
that all appeals are exhausted I expect that the UK and Sweden will
comply with their international obligations and set me free. It is an
obvious and grotesque injustice to detain someone for six years who
hasn’t even been charged with an offence.

Whether
the UK authorities will abide by the judgement is as yet unknown. But
the pressure is now on. If the UK ignores the ruling, it will be
publicly flouting international law. And its ability to wag its
finger at other countries that do the same will mean absolutely
nothing.

Now
we will see just how wedded to universal standards the UK really is.

This
article was updated at 23.58 on 30/11. It previously suggested that
there were charges in Sweden against Mr Assange. There are no formal
charges, so they are accusations.

The
United Nations has rejected a UK appeal against its previous ruling
in favor of Julian Assange as "inadmissible," thus
requiring both London and Stockholm to end the WikiLeaks founder’s
"arbitrary detention."

Earlier
this year, a case was concluded at the UN, in which the body
instructed the UK and Sweden to take immediate steps to ensure the
WikiLeaks founder's liberty, protection and enjoyment of fundamental
human rights.

The
UK has appealed the ruling twice, with the UN rejecting its second
appeal on Wednesday by pronouncing it "not
admissible,"
Justice for Assange reported, adding that the decision marks the end
to London's "attempt
to overturn the ruling."

"Now
that all appeals are exhausted, I expect that the UK and Sweden will
comply with their international obligations and set me free," a
statement by Assange read, with the fugitive whistleblower calling
his detention "an
obvious and grotesque injustice."

The
recent development in the Assange case at the UN forces the UK and
Sweden - which are parties to his case - "to
immediately put an end to Mr. Assange's arbitrary detention and
afford him monetary compensation,"
Justice for Assange stated, adding that a failure to do so would
undermine the UN human rights' protection system.

Julian
Assange faces potential, but as yet unfiled charges over rape
allegations in Stockholm that date back to 2010. The whistleblower
has always denied the accusations, saying that being taken to Sweden
would pave the way for a further extradition to the US, where the
government has launched a criminal investigation into WikiLeaks
following a 2010 diplomatic cables leak.

He
has been sheltered by the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since August
2012. Earlier this month, Swedish investigators came to interview
Assange inside the embassy concerning rape charges, with the
whistleblower saying he has "cooperated
fully"
with them.

WikiLeaks founder says CIA allowed creation of ISIS

Hay is still being made of speculation about the whereabouts of Julian Assange.